The present invention concerns a method of operating a wind power installation comprising an electric generator drivable by a rotor for outputting electrical power to an electrical consumer, in particular an electrical network.
The invention further concerns a wind power installation comprising a rotor and an electric generator coupled to the rotor for outputting electric power to an electrical consumer, in particular an electrical network.
In the known wind power installations for generating electrical energy from wind the generator is operated in parallel relationship with the electrical consumer, frequently an electrical network. During operation of the wind power installation the electric power produced by the generator varies in dependence on the prevailing wind speed and thus the wind power. The consequence of this is that the electrical generator voltage is also variable in dependence on the wind power. That gives rise to the following problems:
In the event of the electrical power generated being fed into an electrical network, for example a public power supply network, there is an increase in the networks voltage at a connecting point or network junction point at which the electrical generator power is fed into the network. Particularly in the event or severe changes in the generator voltage, there are severe unwanted changes in the network voltage.
Under particular circumstances it can happen that the network voltage in the supply network rises to an undesirably high value. That is the case in particular when the power taken on the part of the consumers is very low while a high level of electrical power is being fed into the supply network. Such situations can occur for example at night when the electrical consumption in households is fairy low while with a strong wind, a wind power converter provides the power supply network with a correspondingly high level of electrical power. If the voltage in the supply network or at the network connection point of the wind power installation rises above a predetermined value, the wind power installation or the generator thereof has to be disconnected from the network and the wind power installation would have to be completely shut down from the network because it is no longer possible to take any power. A shut-down procedure of that kind results in an interruption in the feed of electrical power, which is unwanted equally from the point of view of the operator of the wind power installation and the operator of the network.
It is generally known from German patent specification No 368 799, DE-OS No 44 28 085 and DE-OS No 30 23 195 that, in installations such as wind power installations or solar generators, the power produced by the generator fluctuates, which gives rise to the above-described problems in terms of the feed of power into the network.